Few gardening problems are as persistent — or as soul-draining — as weeds. They muscle their way into every bare patch of soil, robbing your cultivated plants of water, nutrients, and light. But there is a smarter strategy than perpetual hand-pulling: let plants fight plants.
Ground covers are low-growing plants that spread deliberately, creating a living carpet so dense that weed seeds can’t find the sunlight or bare soil they need to germinate. Used well, they replace high-maintenance mulch beds, prevent erosion, and add ornamental beauty to the garden — all while quietly outcompeting the weeds beneath them.
The plants in this guide range from fragrant herbs and flowering perennials to woody shrubs and ornamental grasses. Some are native; others are time-tested garden classics. All of them earn their keep. Choose based on your light conditions, climate, and the kind of texture and colour you want underfoot.
Best Ground Cover For Weed Suppression
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
A fragrant, drought-tolerant mat-former that hugs the ground tightly and blooms in small pink or purple flowers in summer. It thrives in poor, rocky soils where weeds often get a foothold, and its dense interlocking stems leave no room for uninvited guests.
Vinca (Vinca minor)
Also called periwinkle, vinca produces glossy evergreen leaves year-round and cheerful blue-violet blooms in spring. It spreads rapidly by rooting where its stems touch soil, forming a tough, weed-suppressing carpet even under dense tree canopies where little else will grow.
Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis)
One of the most reliable shade ground covers in temperate gardens, pachysandra forms a lush, uniform carpet of whorled evergreen leaves. It grows slowly at first but eventually creates a thick blanket that is nearly impenetrable to weeds — ideal under trees where grass refuses to grow.
Ajuga (Ajuga reptans)
Bugleweed is a vigorous spreader with attractive bronze or purple foliage and upright spikes of vivid blue flowers in spring. It fills in bare patches quickly via runners, forming a dense mat that shades out weeds and thrives in moist, partially shaded spots.
Also Read: Best Shrubs that Grow Well In Shade
Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
A woody, low-spreading conifer that hugs slopes and flat ground alike, creeping juniper provides year-round evergreen coverage. Its scale-like foliage knits into a mat dense enough to smother almost any weed that attempts to emerge beneath it — and it requires almost no maintenance once established.
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
A delightful woodland ground cover with whorled bright-green leaves and tiny white star-shaped flowers in spring. Sweet woodruff spreads by underground rhizomes to form a fragrant, hay-scented carpet. It thrives in the dry shade beneath established trees, where weeds can be a persistent nuisance.
Hostas (Hosta spp)
Beloved for their enormous, architectural foliage in shades of green, blue, and gold, hostas are among the most effective shade ground covers. Their broad leaves create a canopy so dense that weed seeds landing beneath them find no light to germinate. They also clump outward over time, steadily colonising more ground.
Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina)
Named for its exceptionally soft, silver-white felted leaves, lamb’s ears spreads readily in sunny, dry spots. Its thick, woolly foliage forms a weed-smothering mat while providing striking textural contrast in the garden. It is particularly effective at covering problem areas with poor, fast-draining soil.
Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi)
This succulent ground cover produces a breathtaking display of vivid magenta-purple daisy-like flowers all summer. It spreads into a dense, fleshy mat that tolerates drought, heat, and poor soils — conditions under which weeds often struggle too. An excellent choice for sunny, dry banks and rock gardens.
Liriope (Liriope muscari)
Monkey grass or lilyturf is a grass-like perennial that forms dense, dark-green clumps and spreads steadily to fill large areas. Its arching foliage remains evergreen in mild climates, and in late summer it sends up spikes of purple flowers. A workhorse ground cover that smothers weeds through sheer density.
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Creeping phlox puts on a spectacular spring show, covering itself in a solid sheet of pink, purple, white, or red flowers. The rest of the year it remains as a tidy, needle-like evergreen mat. It cascades beautifully over walls and slopes while keeping weeds firmly suppressed all year round.
Sedum (Sedum spp.)
Low-growing sedums, such as Sedum spurium and Sedum kamtschaticum, are succulent ground covers that spread into thick mats in dry, sunny conditions. Their fleshy leaves store water, making them drought-tolerant, and their dense growth habit crowds out weeds on challenging slopes and gravelly soils with ease.
Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)
An evergreen ground cover with glossy, variegated or plain green leaves, wintercreeper spreads rapidly by rooting stems. It forms a dense blanket over large areas, tolerates shade and salt, and suppresses weeds effectively — though its vigour should be monitored in some regions where it can become invasive.
Moss Phlox (Phlox douglasii)
Similar to creeping phlox but even more compact, moss phlox forms ultra-tight mounds of needle-like foliage smothered in delicate spring blooms. It is particularly effective between stepping stones and along path edges, creating a cushion so dense that weeds simply cannot penetrate it.
Bishop’s Weed (Aegopodium podagraria)
One of the most aggressive ground covers available, bishop’s weed spreads so vigorously that it outcompetes virtually everything — including most weeds. Its variegated green-and-white leaves are attractive in shaded corners and under shrubs. Best confined to areas where its spreading nature will not cause problems.
Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii)
The smallest mint species, Corsican mint forms a flat, bright-green mossy mat just a centimetre or two tall. It releases an intense peppermint fragrance when stepped upon, making it a wonderful choice between paving slabs or stones. Its dense growth habit prevents weeds from establishing in paved areas and pathways.
Dwarf Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nanus’)
A miniature version of mondo grass, the dwarf form grows just a few centimetres tall and spreads slowly into a dense, dark-green turf-like cover. It is almost completely maintenance-free once established, resistant to most pests and diseases, and effective at preventing weeds in shaded borders and under trees.
Heuchera (Heuchera spp.)
Coral bells are celebrated for their extraordinary range of foliage colours — from lime-green and gold to deep burgundy and near-black. They grow into tidy mounds that, when planted closely together, create a seamless canopy of colour that denies weed seeds the light and space they need to take hold.
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
A cheerful, fast-growing annual that rapidly covers bare ground with its round, lily-pad leaves and edible bright-orange, yellow, and red flowers. Nasturtiums grow so prolifically that they outcompete most annual weeds, making them an excellent quick-cover solution for vegetable gardens and unsightly bare patches.
Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus)
Standard mondo grass forms flowing, arching clumps of dark-green, grass-like foliage that spread steadily to form a dense ground cover. It is particularly valuable in dry shade, where it outperforms most plants, and its root system firmly holds soil on slopes while its foliage suppresses weeds above.
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)
The bearberry cotoneaster is a low, wide-spreading shrub that hugs the ground and produces white spring flowers followed by bright-red autumn berries. It spreads horizontally to cover large areas, its woody branches and dense foliage forming an impenetrable barrier that prevents virtually all weed emergence.
Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia)
Elephant’s ears is aptly named for its enormous, glossy, rounded leaves that form bold clumps and spread outward over time. The leaves are evergreen and turn attractive shades of red or bronze in winter, while the thick leaf canopy casts dense shade that suppresses weeds throughout the growing season.
Hardy Geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Bigroot geranium is one of the most reliable weed-suppressing perennials available. Its aromatic, semi-evergreen foliage spreads steadily from thick rhizomes, creating a dense mat that out-shades weeds. It tolerates dry shade under trees remarkably well — one of the toughest spots for ground covers — and blooms in pink or white in late spring.
Hypericum (Hypericum calycinum)
Rose of Sharon ground cover spreads aggressively by underground runners to form a dense, evergreen carpet bearing large, bright-yellow flowers with prominent stamens throughout summer. It is particularly effective on dry, sunny banks and slopes, tolerating poor soils and drought while efficiently crowding out weeds.
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Culinary oregano doubles as an attractive ornamental ground cover in sunny, well-drained spots. It forms low, spreading mounds of aromatic leaves and produces tiny pink-purple flowers that pollinators adore. Its dense, bushy growth habit shades out many common weeds while providing a useful harvest for the kitchen.
Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
Roman chamomile is a low-growing, apple-scented perennial that forms a soft, feathery carpet of finely cut foliage. It is wonderfully tolerant of foot traffic and releases its sweet fragrance when walked upon. Plant it densely in paths and sunny areas to create a resilient, weed-resistant surface with enormous charm.
Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)
Spotted deadnettle is a fast-spreading perennial with strikingly silvered foliage and hooded pink, purple, or white flowers. It thrives in dry shade — perhaps the hardest condition in any garden — and spreads vigorously enough to crowd out most weeds. Its decorative leaves brighten dark corners throughout the season.
Clover (Trifolium repens)
White clover is increasingly valued as a low-growing lawn alternative and weed-suppressing ground cover. It fixes nitrogen from the air, naturally fertilising the soil, and its dense spreading habit outcompetes many common lawn weeds. White micro-clover varieties stay particularly short and are ideal mixed with grass seed.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow spreads by both seed and underground rhizomes to form feathery, fern-like carpets of foliage topped by flat-headed flowers in white, yellow, pink, or red. It thrives in poor, dry soils where weeds are often competitive, and its allelopathic properties — chemicals released from its roots — actively inhibit the germination of nearby weed seeds.
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Also called bearberry, this native North American ground cover produces small, glossy evergreen leaves, delicate pink urn-shaped flowers, and bright-red berries loved by wildlife. It spreads slowly into a tough, drought-tolerant mat ideal for dry, sunny, and even coastal sites, where it steadily excludes weeds as it matures.
Creeping Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’)
The prostrate form of rosemary trails gracefully over walls and banks, its needle-like aromatic foliage forming a dense, woody mat studded with blue flowers in spring. It excels in hot, dry, Mediterranean-style gardens where it both suppresses weeds and provides a fragrant, culinary-grade harvest throughout the year.
Ivy (Hedera helix)
English ivy is one of the most efficient weed suppressors known to gardeners — its rapidly spreading stems root as they travel, creating a thick, evergreen blanket. It tolerates deep shade and poor soils with ease. Note that in some regions it is considered invasive, so native alternatives should be considered.
Creeping Wire Vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris)
A delicate-looking but tough ground cover with wiry, interlacing stems and tiny round leaves, creeping wire vine forms an incredibly dense, fine-textured mat close to the ground. Its intricate, interwoven growth habit is extremely effective at blocking weed germination, and it tolerates foot traffic and poor soils well.
Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
Snow-in-summer earns its name in late spring when it covers itself in a mass of tiny white flowers above silver-grey woolly foliage. It spreads vigorously in well-drained, sunny spots, forming a bright, luminous mat that contrasts beautifully with darker plants while smothering weeds beneath its dense silver growth.
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)
The common orange daylily spreads prolifically from its tuberous roots to form large, strap-leafed colonies that are practically impenetrable to weeds. While a single plant may seem modest, an established drift becomes a dense, self-maintaining ground cover that crowds out nearly everything, particularly effective on slopes and roadsides.
Ferns (Various genera)
Many fern species — including ostrich fern, hay-scented fern, and the native sword fern — spread by underground rhizomes to form sweeping, lush colonies in shaded and moist areas. Their arching fronds create a multi-layered canopy that blocks light from reaching the ground, making it nearly impossible for weed seeds to germinate.
Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii)
A favourite of cottage gardeners, catmint forms soft, mounding clumps of grey-green, aromatic foliage and produces long-lasting spikes of lavender-blue flowers. Planted in drifts, it creates an attractive, billowing carpet that shades the soil and suppresses weeds while attracting bees and butterflies throughout a long flowering season.
Brass Buttons (Leptinella squalida)
A charming low-growing ground cover with finely textured, ferny, bronzy-green foliage that forms a dense, mossy mat. Brass buttons tolerates light foot traffic and spreads steadily to fill gaps in paving and along path edges. Its tight, interlocking growth leaves virtually no space for weeds to find a foothold.
Woolly Thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus)
Even more low-growing and mat-forming than creeping thyme, woolly thyme produces a soft, grey, felted surface between paving stones and in rock gardens. Its horizontal growth is so flat and dense that weeds struggle to penetrate it. It rarely blooms profusely, making its foliage texture the central attraction.
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
A beautiful native woodland ground cover with large, heart-shaped, velvety leaves that spread slowly but steadily to form a dense, elegant carpet. Wild ginger thrives in moist, deep shade under established trees, where its thick foliage canopy reliably prevents weed germination. It is a superb choice for naturalistic and woodland garden settings.
Prostrate Speedwell (Veronica prostrata)
A low, mat-forming perennial that hugs the ground tightly and erupts in a vivid display of deep-blue flowers in late spring. Its dense, interlocking stems quickly colonise rocky slopes, garden edges, and sunny borders. Once established it leaves very little bare soil exposed, making it highly effective at keeping weeds at bay through the growing season.
Mazus (Mazus reptans)
Mazus is a diminutive creeping perennial that spreads rapidly along the ground by slender runners, rooting at every node to form a flat, bright-green carpet. In spring it produces an abundance of small purple-and-white snapdragon-like flowers. It is particularly useful between stepping stones and in cracks in paving, filling gaps so tightly that weeds cannot penetrate.
Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)
The native North American counterpart to Japanese pachysandra, Allegheny spurge is a semi-evergreen ground cover with beautifully mottled, silver-patterned leaves and fragrant white flower spikes in early spring. It spreads gradually by underground stolons to form a weed-suppressing carpet that is especially valuable in dry woodland and naturalistic garden settings.
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
With its trailing stems of rounded, coin-like leaves — brilliant chartreuse-gold in the popular ‘Aurea’ form — creeping Jenny spreads quickly along the ground and even over water’s edge. It is particularly effective at filling moist, low-lying areas where other ground covers struggle, creating a luminous, weed-excluding mat that remains attractive from spring through autumn.
Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina)
Taller and more stately than its common cousin, fernleaf yarrow forms large, spreading clumps of feathery, aromatic grey-green foliage topped by broad, flat-headed clusters of golden-yellow flowers. It spreads steadily from its root mass to colonise dry, sunny areas, and like other yarrows it releases allelopathic compounds that actively discourage competing weed seedlings from establishing nearby.